Monday, May 16, 2011

DUE TO EXPECTED NUMBERS MASSIVELY OUTSTRIPPING ORIGINAL ESTIMATES WE HAVE HAD TO CHANGE OUR ROUTE

NEW ROUTE:

1:30pm meet outside Sydney Town Hall, George St, Sydney for a 2pm start2:30pm speakers and performance outside the District Court4pm arrive at Harmony Park, next to the Surry Hills Police Station

This Queen's Birthday Public Holiday:Coinciding with, and supported by, Camp Betty 2011, the Sydney SlutWalk stands in solidarity with Toronto (and other cities internationally) against victim blaming and slut shaming.

No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault. Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work. We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged for our perceived sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Our cities, our streets and out parks belong to all of us. No one should associate the use of public space with fear of violence and rape.

Our message is that rape can never be ok and that sexual assault is inexcusable, regardless of mode of dress or perceived sexual orientation. “Slut” is being reappropriated from a form of hate speech to a valid expression of sexuality. SlutWalk Sydney invites you to support the event and join us in this call for an end to the disgraceful vilification of the survivors of assault and rape.

A myth about sex work is that it is a job that is high-risk for sexual assault. In reality this has the effect of impunity for sex workers' assailants. In NSW sex work is decriminalised and street sex work has been legal since 1979. Regardless of sex workers legal rights, those who report rape and assault are still regularly blamed and victimised by police, media and in court. This is a shameful and completely unacceptable situation and must be challenged. There are sex workers participating in all the Australian SlutWalks, marching in defence of their profession, their personal autonomy, and most importantly their basic human rights.

SlutWalk Sydney will coincide with, and is supported by a radical political festival taking place over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Camp Betty is a uniquely Australian, national convergence on issues of sex, gender and sexuality. The festival will host major panels on policing and the justice system; queer sexuality, radical action & electoral politics; sex worker activism; queer spaces; and consent.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

"Yes, it has been about a year since my last "Safety Post". And many of you have heard my tale, but there are newbies lurking out there that need to be careful, too.

"About 14-ish years ago I thought I was invincible. I could play with strangers and nobody would cause me harm unless I asked for it. Boy, was I wrong!

"I "met" the "Dom of my Dreams" online. We chatted alot and of course we were practically "soul-mates"...because I was being stupid and believed all the lies. Finally we planned to meet. He came to town and got a motel room and I got all gussied up and blindly went off to meet my future MONSTER.

So I 200% recommend you head over to The Heron Clan to read the rest of T's post. T not only discusses what happened that night, she explains what's required regarding creating your own personal Safe Call / Silent Alarm system, for when you are meeting a stranger for play. And as T reminds us, while this is important for any "newbies lurking out there" its also important as a refresher for more experienced players. As T concludes:

Education is very important to me, and as many visitors to my blog come specifically for my BDSM For Beginners series I thought I would copy the series - and other BDSM educational material - onto this blog, so that you can find everything a little more easily.

How do you use this blog? First, read my What is this blog about? post. Then check out the "What sort of info do you need?" list under this one, to see if any of the topics mentioned are of interest. Follow the links if so. You can also run your eye down the detailed Labels list. If you would like me to cover something specific in the BDSM For Beginners series, please drop me a line in the cbox below :).

Because I am part of the kinky community in Australia the blog often promotes local educational events here in Oz. However I'm happy to promote any educational / kinky events readers bring to my attention.

You can return to Mistress160's Abode here. You can also visit my new blog on Kink Culture here.

WHAT SORT OF INFO DO YOU NEED???? HERE ARE SOME OF MS160'S MOST POPULAR POSTS:

JUST STARTING TO PLAY? TRY THESE IDEAS:NOTE: The Practicalities of Play (For New Dominants) series has been taken down pending an intellectual property dispute (someone is trying to publish them in their own name) so drop me a line if you want to discuss any of these things. I also run a "D/s for New Dominants" workshop that covers them.Practicalities of play: Finding a play partnerPracticalities of play: Creating a play space and a toy boxPracticalities of play: Learning to playPracticalities of play: How to run a scenePracticalities of play: Dressing dominantPracticalities of play: D/s techniques for new dominants

"On the subject of information, Mistress160 has an array of "BDSM for Beginners" posts that discuss just about everything, from meeting like minded people to accessory selection [you will find a list of titles in the LABELS list below]. The resources that Mistress160 uses are extensive, and kudos to her…"(for complete review see Dark Scribe, 3 March 2007)

"This is a particularly excellent blog for beginners to BDSM. In fact, Ms160 has a phenomenal series created especially for beginners with more information in one place than I’ve ever really seen. Good stuff folks. Give her a look"Carrie AnnA View From the Floor "Blogs I Love"

"Just wanted to thank you for what you've done with your blog and with Fetish Lore ... you manage to present everything in a comfortable, matter-of-fact way that really helped [my wife] ... both sites have helped because they give us a nice touchstone, and a place to ask questions in a newbie friendly environment ... I don't know how often you hear this, but for these two "beginners," we wouldn't be half as on the ball without your blog"Belisarius, Nov 2007 (quoted with permission)

Thanks for all you do for the promotion of what I think of as "good kink," and your love of us subbies. It means more than you know"Quietlisten, Jan 2008 (quoted with permission)

"Thanks to Mistress160 for hosting [at her Forced Fem group on MDS] and for her wonderful articles on how to meet a Dom/me. Comfy, warm, well-lit places where one feels safe and at home can be hard to find on the 'net, but it seems wherever Mistress160 goes, that's what you'll find. Okay, enough gushing... Mistress160 rules! Oh, wait, sorry... end of gushing, I swear"Quietlisten Jan 2008 Forced Fem group Intros"Mistress160 ... runs what is probably the best informational blog about BDSM in the entire region, and has been doing so for quite a while"maymay April 2008 Maybe Maimed But Never Harmed

"You've helped me overcome a choking fear of myself. I can think about all of the kinky ideas that I've dreamed about, without having an anxiety attack of worry"copper 3 May 08

"Thanks for the great info on drop, both for tops and bottoms. Its helped me and my exsub through a painful breakup, and may have saved our friendship."Unen Theilmytholen 14 Sept 08 via cbox

My sincere thanks for a very informative site ... even a quick look around gave me tonnes of new ideas to try on my sub boy! Where do you get all these wonderful ideas? [When] stress and tiredness slow down [my imagination] I can always tap into your cornucopia of ideas! MsD 31 Dec 08 c box

"I remain amazed at the diversity you two exhibit! That blog had me thinking very nasty thoughts Ms160... sol is a lucky guy to have such a deliciously deviant Domme!"billc393 - CollarNcuffs forum (Jan 2009)

Mistress 160's blog is excellent and a really good resource. One that Owner and i found very helpful and informative when we were first starting out a few years back, and she is a wonderful person too. Very envious of the lovely place her and sol have.poppet's blog - comments (May 2009)

"well thought out, well written, and highly valuable ... the class had a profound impact on me and my self-perception ... your blending of sexual imagery with commands during the lessons was exquisite" (QL)

"this course has shown me that it is possible to do things i otherwise would have never done ... you will always have a place in my heart" (t)

Ms160 offers real time workshops and retreats, as well as online educational programs open to all kinky orientations. You'll find all the details on the new BDSM Education page :)

WANT TO ENTER ONE OF MISTRESS160's PHOTO CONTESTS (photo above)?

We have enormous fun!

Ms160 holds photo contests for male subs at her Forced Feminization group at My Dungeon Space. You will need to be a member of the group to enter the contest: join MyDungeonSpace for free, and then join Ms160's Forced Fem group.